Ladies and gentlemen, we give you, the glamorous gals of “Downton Abbey.”
Nine of the hit show’s actresses were photographed by Alexi Lubomirski for an exclusive fashion shoot in the August issue of Harper’s Bazaar UK, on sale July 4. The 10-page portfolio was shot at Viscount Gage’s ancestral home, Firle Place in Sussex, and features the women wearing gowns, jewelry and shoes by international designers including Chanel, Valentino, Jenny Packham, Erdem, Marina Rinaldi, Calvin Klein, Jimmy Choo, Philosophy di Natalie Ratabesi, Burberry and Carolina Herrera.
Michelle Dockery, who plays Lady Mary Crawley in the series, stars on the cover of the issue, wearing a silk and feather-embellished Valentino dress. The magazine also has an exclusive cover for its subscribers that features Dockery, Lily James (Lady Rose MacClare) and Laura Carmichael (Lady Edith Crawley) donning dresses by Valentino.
The series’ fifth season will debut in the U.K. on ITV this fall and in the U.S. on Masterpiece on PBS in January 2015.
“Julian [Fellowes, the writer of “Downton Abbey”] writes so well for women,” Dockery told the magazine. “He’s got a very good way with families. We’re all very lucky that we’re playing roles that are very complex, not just two-dimensional and predictable.”
“Women in their 40s and 50s are very under-represented by all aspects of the media. There are not many stories out there, and that’s where ‘Downton Abbey’ is so nice,” said Elizabeth McGovern, who plays Lady Cora Crawley, the Countess of Grantham. “Maybe that’s partly why people have embraced it as much as they have.”
The full interview appears in the August issue of Harpers Bazaar UK, on sale in the U.K. July 4. It is also available as a digital edition. For more, visit harpersbazaar.co.uk.